The document summarizes the key topics discussed at a meeting on cloud computing interoperability standards. It covered background on portability and interoperability concepts, a distributed computing reference model that applications can map to, recommendations for current practices and standards development, and conclusions. Recommendations included adopting loose coupling and service-oriented design principles, using standard interfaces and formats like OVF, and developing standards around application-platform and service management interfaces. The conclusions were that understanding interoperability issues can help adoption strategies and that portability/interoperability will become critical to cloud vendor competitiveness as the technology matures.

1. Dr Thomas Lee
14 August 2013, 6th Meeting of
Working Group on Cloud Computing Interoperability Standards,
Expert Group on Cloud Computing Services and Standards,
Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, Hong Kong SAR Government

2. Agenda
Background and cloud portability and interoperability
concepts
Distributed computing reference model
Recommendations for current practice and standardsRecommendations for current practice and standards
development
Conclusions
214-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting

3. Agenda
Background and cloud portability and
interoperability concepts
Distributed computing reference model
Recommendations for current practice and standardsRecommendations for current practice and standards
development
Conclusions
314-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting

4. Background
Open Group Guide: Cloud Computing Portability and
Interoperability by The Open Group, April 2013
Explains major cloud portability and interoperability issues
Recommends customers on how best to achieve portability and
interoperability when using
Recommends suppliers and standards bodies on how standards andRecommends suppliers and standards bodies on how standards and
best practices should evolve
Cloud computing enables massive economic activities and
makes significant contribution to GDP
Like Internet yet with even greater potential
Potential will not be realized without portability and
interoperability
Growth of the Internet is largely due to high level of portability and
interoperability
414-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting

5. Architecture for Portability / Interoperability
Business architecture
Business strategy, organization, functions, business processes
and information needs
Information systems architecture
Application architectureApplication architecture
Capabilities that provide business
functions and manage data assets
Data architecture
Logical / physical data assets,
data management resources
Technology architecture
Platform services, logical /
physical technology components
BusinessBusiness
DataDataApplicationApplication
TechnologyTechnology
14-Aug-2013 56th WGCCIS Meeting

6. Cloud Service Models
14-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting 6
Source: Open Group Guide - Cloud Computing Portability and Interoperability

7. Cloud Portability
Data portability
Reuse of data components across applications
Application portability
Reuse of application components across PaaS’sReuse of application components across PaaS’s
Platform portability
Platform source portability: reuse of platform
components across IaaS’s
Machine image portability: reuse of bundles of platform
+ application + data (i.e., VM image) across IaaS’s
14-Aug-2013 76th WGCCIS Meeting

8. Platform Portability
Platform source portability Machine image portability
14-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting 8
Source: Open Group Guide - Cloud Computing Portability and Interoperability

9. Cloud Interoperability
Application interoperability
Between different / identical application components,
e.g., hybrid cloud
Data synchronization between components in differentData synchronization between components in different
clouds
Platform interoperability
Between platform components, e.g., database
Set-up and transfer of application session info:
User ID
Authentication level
User locale and preference
14-Aug-2013 96th WGCCIS Meeting

10. Cloud Interoperability (Cont’)
Management interoperability
On-demand self-service management of different clouds
(SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)
E.g., manage cloud services together with in-houseE.g., manage cloud services together with in-house
systems using generic system management COTS
Publication and acquisition interoperability
Between marketplaces, app stores, etc.
Standard interfaces to different stores
14-Aug-2013 106th WGCCIS Meeting

11. Agenda
Background and cloud portability and interoperability
concepts
Distributed computing reference model
Recommendations for current practice and standardsRecommendations for current practice and standards
development
Conclusions
1114-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting

12. Distributed Computing Reference Model
14-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting 12
Source: Open Group Guide - Cloud Computing Portability and Interoperability

13. Applications Mapping to DCRM
14-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting 13
Source: Open Group Guide - Cloud Computing
Portability and Interoperability

14. PaaS and IaaS on DCRM
PaaS:
Source: Open Group Guide - Cloud Computing
Portability and Interoperability
IaaS:
14-Aug-2013 146th WGCCIS Meeting

15. Portability / Interoperability Interfaces
CloudComputingPortabilityandInteroperability
1514-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting
Source:OpenGroupGuide-CloudComputingPortabilityandInteroperability

16. Portability / Interoperability Interfaces (Cont’)
CloudComputingPortabilityandInteroperability
14-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting 16
Source:OpenGroupGuide-CloudComputingPortabilityandInteroperability

17. Security of WS-I and HTTP WS Styles
Source: Open Group Guide - Cloud Computing
Portability and Interoperability
14-Aug-2013 176th WGCCIS Meeting

18. Agenda
Background and cloud portability and interoperability
concepts
Distributed computing reference model
Recommendations for current practice andRecommendations for current practice and
standards development
Conclusions
1814-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting

19. Application Design Principles
Loose coupling
Service-orientation
Stable interfaces
Described interfacesDescribed interfaces
Human / machine readable descriptions
Use of marketplaces (a.k.a. app stores)
REST (Representational State Transfer)
BASE (Basically Available, Soft State, Eventual
Consistency)
c.f. ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation Durability)
14-Aug-2013 196th WGCCIS Meeting

20. Recommendations
• Problem areas:
• Platform-platform / application-platform interfaces
• Service descriptions and management interfaces
• Data models, machine image formats• Data models, machine image formats
• Loose coupling, service-orientation, stable and
described interfaces, marketplaces, REST, BASE
• Each area covers:
• Problem summary
• Recommendations for current practice
• Recommendations for standards development
14-Aug-2013 206th WGCCIS Meeting

21. Application-Platform Interfaces
Problem summary
Various programming languages to be chosen for the interface
No agreement on what functionality is needed
No commonly accepted application-platform interface standards
Recommendations for current practice
Enterprises should seek to use cloud platforms with vendor-
independent programming interfacesindependent programming interfaces
PaaS vendors stating that they support .NET or J2EE should say
which versions they support
Recommendations for standards development
The industry should identify best practice in use of direct HTTP
and JSON, including means of authentication and access control
(such as OAUTH), and develop standard profiles for
interoperability between service platforms using this approach.
14-Aug-2013 216th WGCCIS Meeting

22. Machine Image Formats
Problem summary
A standard machine image format makes portability possible across
different infrastructure service providers, as well as across infrastructure
services of a single provider.
The DMTF OVF standard is designed to meet the need for a machine image
format standard.
Recommendations for current practice
Enterprises developing cloud infrastructure services should evaluate theEnterprises developing cloud infrastructure services should evaluate the
OVF standard and support it if feasible.
Enterprises developing cloud management systems should evaluate the
OVF standard and support it if feasible.
Enterprises procuring cloud infrastructure services or cloud management
systems should evaluate the OVF standard and look for support for it as
appropriate.
Recommendations for standards development
The industry should work to ensure that the OVF standard is and remains
fit for purpose, and to encourage its use.
14-Aug-2013 226th WGCCIS Meeting

23. BASE Transactions
Problem summary
There is a need for robust and scalable services that are
loosely-coupled and have stable interfaces that are easy
to describe.to describe.
Recommendations for current practice
Applications should be designed using the
Representational State Transfer (REST) style, though
without insisting on its full rigor.
14-Aug-2013 236th WGCCIS Meeting

24. Agenda
Background and cloud portability and interoperability
concepts
Distributed computing reference model
Recommendations for current practice and standardsRecommendations for current practice and standards
development
Conclusions
2414-Aug-2013 6th WGCCIS Meeting

25. Conclusions
Important technical resource for enterprise users and cloud
vendors to understand different aspects and current status
of cloud portability and interoperability
May serve as a base for enterprises to develop their ownMay serve as a base for enterprises to develop their own
cloud adoption strategy
Cloud vendors should develop products that can address
these portability and interoperability issues
In the long run, these features will become a competitive advantage
Portability and interoperability will become a determinant
of success when the cloud technology becomes mature
Like what happened to the Internet / Web
14-Aug-2013 256th WGCCIS Meeting

26. Thank YouThank You